The present invention relates to hard candy wherein sectors of two or more colors are arranged in a pattern radiating outwards from a midpoint on each surface of the candy.
Hard candies, that is, solid individual pieces which fit comfortably into the mouth, are of course well known. It is also known in general to make hard candies which are of a single uniform color, or which exhibit two or more colors.
Hard candies are traditionally considered to consist of supercooled, supersaturated sugar or sugar alcohol solutions and to exhibit the characteristics of amorphous solids. The moisture content of such traditional hard candies is generally in the range of from xc2xd-3xc2xd% Dairy-based hard candies may also include various ingredients such as cream, butter and milk, which contribute to properties such as mouth feel and flavor. Fat based hard candies, sometimes known as toffee, may contain vegetable, dairy or animal fats to provide a rich food mouth feel. If a suitable gelling or aerating agent is added to hard candy, and the moisture content is raised to the range of 6-9%, a so-called xe2x80x9cchewxe2x80x9d results. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9chard candyxe2x80x9d refers to all of the foregoing food products.
Hard candies which are comprised of two or more regions of differing colors can be made by any of various depositing technologies. Such technologies often have involved complex machinery and processing conditions.
It has become desirable in the field of hard candies to be able to produce a product which exhibits a plurality of segments of differing colors, wherein the segments are not all identical to each other but exhibit a variety of widths. By xe2x80x9csegmentxe2x80x9d is meant herein a region of one color which is generally triangular in shape, extending from a point on the surface of the hard candy and gradually increasing in width as it extends toward the outer edge of the candy piece, in which the color extends through the piece to the other surface. It would be desirable to be able to form a candy piece wherein the widths of various of the segments at the outer edge of the candy differ one from another, and especially wherein the widths of adjacent segments at the outer edge differ. Hard candy having such an appearance is believed to provide an interesting and visually pleasing appearance to the customer and consumer.
The present invention satisfies these objectives, and provides the other advantages described herein.
In one aspect, the invention is a hard candy with top and bottom surfaces and a circumferential outer edge at which the top and bottom surfaces meet, wherein both said top and bottom surfaces comprise a plurality of segments of at least two different colors, wherein each segment begins at a common midpoint on said surface and grows progressively in width from said midpoint to said outer edge and extends through said piece to the other surface, and wherein there are segments having at least two different widths at said outer edge, wherein said segments extend axially through said candy from the top surface to the bottom surface. The piece of candy can be in the shape of a disc or can have any other desired shape such as a heart.
Another aspect of the present invention is the method of producing such a hard candy, by providing a plurality of flowable supersaturated solutions of candy ingredients equal in number to the desired number of colors, and depositing said solutions into a mold through a nozzle having around its periphery openings equal in number to the desired number of segments, wherein said openings vary in width, wherein adjacent openings receive supersaturated solutions of differing colors, and allowing the product in said mold to solidify.